M42 and A42 at J11
(also accessible to traffic on the A444)
Signposted from the road.
DE12 7AP
map and directions
Single site located at a junction.
The service area consists of a filling station and McDonald's at the end of the M42, primarily serving the A444.
Facilities
Catering: McDonald's Drive Thru Outdoor Space: Grass verges around site; picnic area at back of car park Charging Points: InstaVolt 120kW CCS & 50kW CHAdeMO Forecourt: Shell, Select, Deli by Shell, Costa Express, Free Cash Machine
Parking Information
Short stay customer parking is available for cars at both facilities, with short stay parking available for HGVs next to the filling station.
Parking within the McDonald's car park is limited to 90 minutes maximum stay and is strictly enforced by MET Parking.
This information is provided to us by third parties. You should always check with staff on site.
Contact Details
🏢 Address:
Atherstone Road
Appleby Magna
Swadlincote
Leicestershire
DE12 7AP
Trivia and History
The planned HS2 eastern rail link would have passed very close to this service station. It was likely that the entry junction would have had to be modified to make space for it. This was cancelled in October 2023.
Development
A study into service areas on the M42 at Polesworth examined eight possible sites, including one on the western side of the Appleby Magna Roundabout. This was quickly declared to be impractical for a major service area.
The new motorway meant Tamworth Road had to be moved onto a new alignment. This left an abandoned section of road next to Appleby Field.
There was a proposal to turn this land into a smaller-scale roadside service area, first endorsed by Fina and Kelly's Kitchen. While they didn't have planning permission, Kelly's Kitchen did advertise it as opening in Autumn 1990.
In the event, Kelly's Kitchen were sold and Forte chose not to continue with this site. Instead McDonald's took the opportunity on, and built their second ever UK roadside restaurant here in June 1993. They called the branch "a test" of their success at a service area. The Fina was built and became Total, and then was sold to Shell in 2013.
Two InstaVolt electric vehicle charging points were installed in the McDonald's car park in November 2021.
Road Signs
Since it opened, there has been a debate between the landowners and various civil servants about whether the services could, or should, be signposted from the motorway. The argument has surfaced repeatedly since the 1990s. In December 2017 non-standard signs were added to the M42, but these may be changed.
If official signs are provided, Appleby Magna would become an MSA, even though it doesn't provide the required facilities. However, improved signage would benefit the landowner, and it would also be an opportunity to reduce the number of fatigue-related accidents on the A42.
Strictly speaking the current signs on the M42 refer to this as a "non-motorway service area", even though it is signed from a motorway because that's what those signs are doing!
Alternatives
| Previous: | Next: | |
| Tamworth (8 miles) | Services on the M42 | end of road |
| start of road | Services on the A42 | Ashby de la Zouch (6 miles) Donington (15 miles) |
| Nuneaton (15 miles) | Services on the A444 | none |
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